On the Sabaody Archipego, in the illegal port zohe ship of the Red Hair Pirates was docked. Somehow, Shanks and his crew had ended up on the archipego.

  "They'll never see this ing," Shanks said with a grin as he stepped off the ship.

  "This pce isly safe, it's way too close to Marine Headquarters," Be said calmly, his tone cautious.

  "Doesn't matter. Let's get the ship coated now. If Garp shows up, we'll just dive straight to Fish-Man Isnd and head into the New World. Let him chase his own tail for a while," Yasopp said with a ugh.

  Mung on a drumstick, Lucky chimed in, "What's up with that guy anyway? We haven't attacked any Marines in the New World. Why's he always on our tails?"

  Yasopp adjusted his gun and smirked. "Maybe it's because you were er's crew, Shanks. Garp might be after you because of that."

  Indeed, after Shanks and his crew had ehe New World, they'd made quite a name for themselves, causing enough trouble to earn widespread reition. But for some reason, Garp—Marine Headquarters' infamous "Mad Dog"—had taken a particur i in them. Wherever Shanks and his creeared, Garp would soon follow, relentlessly hunting them down.

  The major pyers in the New World knew of Garp's reputation for wreaking havoc, but none dared cross him. Instead, they secretly supplied Garp with information about Shanks's movements. The New World was already rife with internal flicts, and no one wao openly antagonize Shanks, who was rising fast as a powerful force. But with Garp chasing him, they saportunity to weaken the Red Hair Pirates without getting their hands dirty.

  No one knew why Garp had made it his mission to hound Shanks, and frankly, they didn't care. It wasn't their problem to figure out.

  As a result, Shanks's crew had been ered several times in the New World. Only their exceptional strength and a good dose of luck had allowed them to escape each time. Still, the starayals and ambushes had left them frustrated and wary.

  In response, Shanks devised a clever ploy. He faked a move deeper into the New World while secretly buying supplies and slipping out. Their real destination? The Sabaody Archipego.

  Surely, Garp was still prowling the New World, searg for them in vain. For now, they'd y low and wait for the heat to die down. Garp was an unstoppable force, and while Shanks and his crew could hold their own in a fight, defeating him ht wasn't an option. Taking him down could provoke the Marines into a full-blowaliation, something they couldn't afford.

  "inally, I po cim the title of Pirate Emperor in the New World," Shanks said with a wry smile. "But now look at us, being chased around like dogs. What the hell's wrong with Garp? Did we somehow offend him without knowing it?"

  Despite his pints, Shanks ughed and added, "Still, it's pretty exg. Feels like the old days aboard the Oro Ja, living life on the edge, full of adventure."

  Be, chewing on a cigarette, touched his houghtfully. "I've got a theory, though it's just a guess."

  "What is it?" Shanks and the rest of the crew turo him, their curiosity piqued.

  The Red Hair Pirates were a crew of elites, with every member a capable fighter. While Shanks was the captain in name, he rarely acted like ohe group operated with a rexed atmosphere, and it was Be known as the smartest among them who often hahe logistid pnning.

  "I think this might have something to do with what we did i Blue," Be said.

  "East Blue?" Yasopp blinked, surprised.

  Yasopp, a Blue native, recalled their time in that region. The Red Hair Pirates had spent the past two years wanderi Blue, using it as a sort of vacation spot. Evehey briefly returo the New World for business, they always found their way back to East Blue afterward.

  But they hadn't caused any signifit trouble there. They mostly kept to themselves, treating it as a pce to unwind. The only thing of note was Shanks's insisten looking for someone, a special individual he believed could i the will of his former captain, Roger.

  East Blue was Roger's home, and that's why Shanks had spent so much time there, searg for a worthy successor. In the end, he had found one.

  "e to think of it, isn't Garp's hometown also i Blue? The Kingdom of Goa, if I remember correctly," Be said after a moment. "Specifically, a pce called Foosha Vilge."

  "Really?" Shanks and the others were surprised. This was o them.

  Shanks frowned. "If we'd done something like destroy Foosha Vilge, I'd uand why Garp would be after us. But we didn't touch the pce. If anything, we were pretty well-liked there."

  Be nodded. "True, but it might have something to do with Luffy."

  "Luffy?" Shanks's expression softened into a nostalgic smile. It had been two years sihey'd left East Blue, where he had met a young boy named Luffy, the "seed" he believed could grow into someone great. Shanks had everusted him with Roger's straw hat.

  Due to certain circumstances, Luffy had avoided signifit trouble. The infamous Bandit King, who had ohreatehe vilge, had bee with by Lucky before anythied. As a result, Luffy never faced the sea monster, and Shanks had no reason to sacrifice his arm in a dramatic rescue.

  Because of this, Shanks remained physically whole, much to the annoyanihawk, who still frequently challenged him to duels. Their cshes had stirred up plenty of waves in the New World, further solidifying Mihawk's reputation as the world's stro swordsman.

  "What does any of this have to do with Luffy?" Shanks asked, puzzled.

  "Do you even know Luffy's full name?" Be asked pointedly.

  The question caught everyone off guard. Shanks and the rest of the crew exged bnk looks, none of them seeming to have the answer.

  Be sighed in exasperation. "You gave your precious hat to the kid, and you don't even know his full name?"

  "Does it matter?" Shanks asked, genuinely fused.

  "Well, it does now. The kid's full name is 'Monkey D. Luffy,'" Be revealed with a hint nation.

  "Monkey... D... Luffy?" Shanks repeated, frowning as the irred something in his memory. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite pce it.

  Then, suddenly, it hit him. His eyes widened in shock as realization dawned. "Wait a minute—Monkey? You mean Luffy is Garp's son?!"

  Be nearly choked on his cigarette. "What the hell are you talking about? Son? He's obviously his grandson, given the age difference!"

  ***

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